A visual variety chooser
Pick your tomato
There are thousands of tomato varieties, but most get sold as the same generic red. We tell you what each one actually tastes like, how it grows, and what to plant instead when your favorite sells out, starting with the cold, stubborn gardens of New England.
Where to start
Pick a mood. We will narrow the field to the ones worth growing.
The dark onesDusky, smoky, faintly gothicFor the sauce potMeaty pastes that cook down thickWeird and beautifulStripes, marbling, war paintPot-sizedBig flavor, no garden requiredFor cold gardensEarly movers for a short seasonLow and slow acidGolden, mild, easy on the stomachNew to thisForgiving plants that just growBig slicersMeaty sandwich tomatoes
Or start with a type
A few worth meeting
See all
BeefsteakCherokee Purpleheirloom · 80 days · MidWidely described as rich, sweet and smoky with a savory depth that makes it a benchmark dark heirloom. As with every flavor note here, this is the recurring description, not a measured claim.
CherrySungoldhybrid · 60 days · EarlyCatalog and grower descriptions put Sungold among the sweetest cherry tomatoes grown, intensely sweet and fruity, almost tropical, measured at roughly 8 on the Brix scale. Flavor is subjective, so treat this as the widely repeated catalog description rather than a measured fact for your garden.
SlicerGreen Zebraopen-pollinated · 78 days · MidDescribed as tart, zingy and bright, with enough sweetness to avoid being flat. Leaving fruit on the vine longer pushes it sweeter. Subjective, attributed to grower and catalog notes.
GrapeBrad's Atomic Grapeopen-pollinated · 75 days · MidDescribed as sweet and tangy by some catalogs and more spritely and tart than sweet by others, with comparisons to Green Zebra. This is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
PasteSan Marzanoopen-pollinated · 85 days · LateCompared with Roma, San Marzano is described as stronger, sweeter and less acidic, with thicker flesh and fewer seeds, which is why it is the benchmark sauce and canning tomato. Attributed description, not a measured claim.
BeefsteakKellogg's Breakfastheirloom · 80 days · MidDescribed as sweeter than most beefsteaks while still carrying a deep true tomato taste, juicy and rich. As with every flavor note here, this is the recurring catalog and grower description, not a measured claim.
Gardening somewhere cold?
New England plays on hard mode
Late springs, cool nights, an early frost waiting in the wings. Variety choice is the whole game up here, so we sorted out the ones that actually ripen before the cold comes back.
Stay in the loop
From the Almanac
Updates from Tomato Almanac, when there is something worth sharing.